(by Maria Grazia Marilotti) (ANSA) – CAGLIARI, 09 DEC – The country church of the Madonna di Noli Me Tollere in Sorso, in the Sassari area, the basilica of Nostra Signora di Luogosanto, in Gallura, with a view of the hills and the sea, the church and the convent of San Francesco in Oristano.
Still the one dedicated to San Francesco, a significant example of Gothic-Catalan architecture with the adjacent convent that stands out among the alleys of the historic center of Alghero.
There are many other opportunities to visit monasteries and sanctuaries, convents, cloisters, churches and museums, along the Camino di San Francesco in Sardinia. An itinerary already traveled for years in the sign of the spiritual heritage left by the “poor man of Assisi”. And now for the first time it is codified through a preparatory protocol for the establishment of the Franciscan Path Foundation in Sardinia, signed by 16 municipalities under the aegis of the Region. It also involves the Friars Minor Observant, Friars Minor Conventual, Friars Minor Capuchin.
From north to south and in the center of the island, from the coasts to the hinterland, there are numerous signs of the passage over the centuries of the first friars and religious orders. Starting from 1220 with the first trace of Franciscanism on the island.
“A path to gather in silence and inner peace, rediscover that connection with nature and where the beauty of the landscapes, architectures, ancient stones are revealed at every step. A path also of awareness to rediscover those values indicated by Francesco, today more Sardinian peculiarity of the Franciscan path is a deep and ancestral relationship with the sacred”, explains to ANSA Father Fabrizio Congiu, creator, together with Luca Baltolu, of the project that combines the spiritual dimension with that of sustainable tourism, seasonally adjusted and towards the less traveled areas, all to be rediscovered.
The itineraries are yet to be formalized and defined in detail. The leader of the project is Laconi, in the Oristano area, the birthplace of Sant’Ignazio, a Franciscan of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin. Here, where a community of Franciscans is very active, you can visit his birthplace and the museum dedicated to him. The journey among the religious testimonies continues in Alghero, Bosa, Cagliari, Castelsardo, Fonni, Gesturi, Luogosanto, Mores, Iglesias, Oristano, Pula, Sanluri, Sassari, Sorso. The stop in Sanluri, in the Campidano area, allows a visit to the Capuchin convent which stands on a hill, with its historical ethnographic museum which houses sacred furnishings, vestments, paintings. They tell the story of the settlement of the Capuchin Friars in Sardinia while the objects refer to activities such as watchmaking, pharmacy, carpentry.
There are also six places of pilgrimage that keep the remains of Franciscan saints: Sant’Ignazio da Laconi, in the municipality of the same name, San Salvatore da Horta in Cagliari, Blessed Francesco Ziranu in Sassari, Blessed Nicola from Gesturi, Venerable Paolo from Cuglieri , Servant of God fra Nazareno da Pula, in the towns of the same name. The goal is to present the Way in 2023 at trade fairs. (HANDLE).
In the footsteps of San Francesco between nature and spirituality – Sardinia